It is well-known to use the current ignition state of a vehicle to power components in the vehicle on and off. For example, when a driver turns the key in the ignition, the electrical system of the vehicle attempts to send power to the ignition system (spark plug, starter), and once the engine has been started, the electrical system then sends power to components of the vehicle that use electricity, such as the air conditioner, the radio, lights, locks, etc. However, when providing a mobile base station in a vehicle, it is desirable to have greater intelligence in providing electrical power to the vehicle-mounted base station.
Vehicles typically provide central controller systems that monitor power loads, power current, voltage monitoring, and other power management functions. For example, the Texas Instruments TMS470 ARM Cortex-M Safety MCU provides connectivity to such functions and also to one or more controller area network (CAN) buses. Central controllers also provide monitoring of load and demand among distributed loads. The load monitoring system may provide monitoring of system power loads, which may be a direct battery connection. In some embodiments, the load monitoring system may be enabled to turn off nonessential systems, such as seat warmers/heaters and cigarette lighters, to reduce electrical load in certain situations.